BASIL PESTO RECIPE | How to Make Pesto Sauce

BAIL PESTO ALLA GENOVESEBasil Pesto is the second most used sauce in the world, originating from a beautiful Italian city called Genoa. In this recipe, I’ll show you how simple it is to make basil pesto either by hand or in just a few minutes using a hand held blender. This pesto recipe combines fresh basil, pine nuts, extra virgin olive oil and salty cheese to create the most perfect condiment – a creamy sauce which can be used on pasta, meat, or even in salads. Here, I serve it with gnocchi, a favourite dish all over the world.

The Liguria Region has launched a worldwide initiative called “Pasta Pesto Day” to encourage restaurants all over the world to lend their support following the tragic event of the Genoa bridge collapse in August.

During the Week of the Italian Cuisine in the World (19th to 25th November) Pasta Pesto Day will help the #Liguria region thanks to your support. As you may be aware pesto pasta is the signature dish of the city of #Genoa. Find out more by visiting the following website: https://bit.ly/PastaPestoDay

METHOD:1. To make this basil pesto, crush garlic and pine nuts using a mortar and pestle. This is key to a delicious pesto sauce.2. Add basil leaves and a sprinkle of sea salt and crush once again, pressing hard until you get a creamy consistency and the leaves have almost disappeared.3. Add the parmesan and pecorino cheese and continue to mix through, to make a flavoursome pesto.4. Pour a generous drizzle of EVOO in the pesto and crush through, adding a little bit at a time to the pesto, as you go.

ALTERNATIVE, QUICK OPTIONFor a quick option and to achieve a smoother consistency, make your pesto using a hand blender in just 5 minutes!

1. Add the garlic clove (peeled), pine nuts and a pinch of rock salt to the base of your hand blender and mix well until it becomes fine. Then, add the basil leaves to your pesto mix but don’t leave the blender on, just use the option for short bursts until the leaves are chopped down.2. Add a tablespoon of both parmesan and pecorino, blend in short bursts, then add 2 tablespoons of oil and blend again. If it is too thick, add some more EVOO and blend one last time.

TO SERVE: Cook 300g of fresh gnocchi using Nonna Maria’s recipe.

While you wait for the gnocchi to cook, heat up the delicious, fresh basil pesto in a wide fry pan. Once the pasta is ready, strain it and add it to the pan with the pesto, mixing it through and lathering the potato morsels with the beautiful rich sauce.